Breakout
by broomsticks1
Summary: A breakout from Arkham Asylum leaves all of Gotham at the mercy of the inmates and the gangs that have formed. A young psychiatrist survives, and he'll do whatever he can to find his old friend who disappeared during the breakout


**I found this on my computer and thought I'd post it. I wrote it a few years ago, so I thought I'd see what you guys think. Feel free to rate and review, if you guys like the idea I'll post a few more chapters! Happy reading!**

In the beginning there was a hospital. At least, it began as a hospital. After some time, the citizens of Gotham City began to call it what it really was: Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

The Asylum itself was as infamous as its inmates. It was well known for breakouts and riots that always caused great harm to Gotham in the end in some way, even though it was situated on an island just off the coast of the city. The Asylum also served as a sort of hospital, however, keeping the noted cryogenicist Dr. Victor Fries (more commonly known as Mr. Freeze) at subzero temperatures to suit his condition and keep him alive.

Arkham contained some of the most infamous super criminals to ever plague the city of Gotham: The Mad Hatter, Two Face, Victor Zsasz, the Riddler, and the Joker just to name a few.

Most of the inmates in Arkham were put there by the Batman, a masked man who protects the citizens of Gotham from these criminals with a plethora of gadgets and a wit unmatched by any before him. He was the true definition of a one man army.

Of course, there are some things even the Batman cannot handle, even with the help of his allies. This story details the events of a mass breakout from Arkham Asylum and how the Batman was powerless to stop it, though he certainly tried.

* * *

It happened on a seemingly normal Monday morning. As the citizens of Gotham went about their normal day, hell reigned on Arkham Island. Inmates attacked guards mercilessly, massacring them with weapons from the asylum's own caches. As usual, they were led by the infamous and ruthless Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime.

By midday the island was ruled by the inmates, who then turned their attention to Gotham in their lust for destruction and chaos. As they moved into the city the super criminals began to go their separate ways with their own armies, dividing Gotham into territories and turning it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by gangs and plagued with violence.

The city was divided up into four territories, or "turfs", if you will, among the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, and Two Face respectively. The other super criminals and escapees merely formed alliances with these leaders and lived within the territory, allegedly safe. However, in the new Gotham, nobody was truly safe.

As the criminals moved in, they swiftly disposed of the citizens. Anyone who could not work was either killed or sent to Arkham Island, where they would die anyways. Anyone fit to serve as a henchman served as a henchman, guarding the streets from attacks by neighboring gangs.

Each leader disposed of their useless citizens in unique ways. The Riddler put them through life threatening puzzles and "games" which were intended to weed out the weak of mind. Most contestants failed. The Penguin put his citizens in a large room with limited resources and watched as they eventually turned on and fought each other for the scarce resources. Two Face flipped a coin to decide the fates of his citizens. The Joker tortured and mutilated his citizens, often experimenting on them in cruel ways.

This had happened so quickly that the Batman hardly had time to react. By the time he was suited up and prepared for the imminent battle, Gotham was already in ruin. He had failed the people he had sworn to protect when he first donned that suit all those years ago.

* * *

It only seemed fitting that the Joker would be the one to finally kill the Batman. I'll refrain from going into too much detail out of respect for the Dark Knight, but I will tell you this: nobody knows his identity, except for the Joker.

After the death of the Batman, his allies began to fall to the super criminals as well: Nightwing and Catwoman to Two Face, Robin and Barbara Gordon to the Penguin. The only ally not captured was the loyal butler known as Alfred Pennyworth, who disappeared with Bruce Wayne around the same time the Batman was killed.

* * *

Very few survived the initial riots on Arkham Island, the prisoners made sure of that. One of the most notable survivor was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, you may know her as Harley Quinn, the Joker's punching bag. Notable casualties include James Gordon and Aaron Cash, members of the police force in Gotham.

But our story follows none of these, not even our super criminals. Our story follows the psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Riley of Arkham, the only doctor next to Dr. Quinzel to survive the riots.


End file.
